Genres

Language

Production

Release

date

07 Jul, 2011 - 15 Sep, 2011

episodes

11

duration

54 minutes

air day

Thursday

at

22:00 - 22:54

status

released

Stats

avg. score

4.15 of 5 by 273 users

total users

603

rating

1133

favorites

29

Relations

Synopsis

On a hot summer day of 1996, the young Aki who wanted to fly her kite was left alone by her older brothers. She went missing and was found in a lake the following day. Because her murderer, Misaki Fumiya, was a teenage boy, both families had hard times dealing with this dramatic case. Fifteen years later, Aki's eldest brother, Hiroki, meets Futaba, the murderer's younger sister. Will this encounter help healing their wounds or will it make them worse?

Production

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Reviews

It was a hot summer day when 7-year old Aki was killed near a lake with around 5 strokes of a hammer. At that moment her father watched the kite she held fall from afar. Her mother was at work and had left her in the care of her older brother Hiroki, who didn't watch and went out with his friend to buy an adult video.

Ever since that day the lives of two families changed drastically. The family who lost their child on that hot summer day slowly fell apart, because they couldn't live with the sadness. On the other side the family of the murderer, who was a teenage boy at the time, would suffer as well from accusitions, bad-mouthing and bullying, but they could somehow stay together.

15 years later Aki's brother Hiroki and the murderer's younger sister Futaba, who had lived through all the hardship as well, meet and they notice soon enough their lives still evolve around the case. They both have the same goal, meeting the murderer, though Hiroki wants to kill him and Futaba just wants to talk to him.

It is a great drama, probably about one of the best I have seen. Every little segment is well thought-through. It's not about a shiny world, but about gloominess on both sides. Some people said it has a slow start, but I found the pace impressive, I think I've never seen such a well-paced drama, because there is a continuous movement and every episode something new happens that gives the story a new aspect. The cliffhanger at some episode ends are so well-placed it's unbearable not to watch on.

The main actors are great and their acting is fabulous, especially Mitsushima Hikari is unbelievably good in her role, but overall everyone wa convincing. This is also what makes the whole story even more realistic, beside the well thought-out plot. So the plot is great, the acting is fantastic, what else? The music is also extraordinary. It is not only well-placed, but also totally fitting for the overall mood of the drama. The title track has a very calming feeling, which perfectly describes the emptiness of everyone evolved even after 15 years passed. You can literally feel their sadness.

Though it was like that, I didn't cry as much as I expected, but I think that also fits the mood, as the involved parrties have basically also run out of tears. It's rather the few happy moments and the relationship between the main characters that makes one cry, because it's so beautiful and pure to see them smile once in a while. I loved their talks about how normal people would do this and that, but also their weird talks and sudden topic changes from serious to totally irrelevant topics. Their chemistry was special, you just had to wish them happiness.

The end was not satisfying, but it was great in my opinion. Of course I'd wish things differently, but that's just how things are and some things can't be changed, just like the overall situation in the drama can't be changed with just words, apologies or revenge. Without telling too much, the end was very fitting.

So overall this drama is perfect in every aspect and I rated it 5 stars without hesitation. I even put it in my favorites before I finished the whole thing, which is something I never do. Great watch and totally needs more love, so go watch it immediately (well, but only if you can stand gloomy dramas).

Recommendations

They are very different dramas. These series have a plot, an approach a filming and accents of various kinds. However, a sorely specific situation is the basis of dramas. We have the prisoner's family and the victim's family. One day a man and a woman (these families’ members) meet each other.

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Comments

I thought this was very, very interesting in the beginning. The setting as well, incredibly interesting and well executed, but I couldn't help but deflate a little with what they did with Futaba's brother's story. I felt it took away from the story and made it messier, less interesting, like they didn't quite think it through. Not necessarily his story itself, but how it was handled.

The first half is wonderful, damn near perfect, but I feel that the second half is not as brilliant. I liked it overall, but I can't say I was satisfied with how things turned out in the end or the last episode as a whole 3/5

That scene where Futaba finds the red flowers in the mountains and realizes that despite all her hopes he had actually done it. Oh god. That scene was so powerful and perfection itself, I loved it. I think this was my first time seeing Mitsushima Hikari in a main role and I'm looking forward to seeing her in more stuff, she did an amazing job here